by Matthew Kappus
Daily Lobo
Lately, San Diego State has tormented the UNM softball team.
The Lobos turned that around Sunday as they used a three-run sixth-inning surge to top the Aztecs 6-4 at Lobo Field.
The victory was UNM's first regular-season win against them since April 3, 2005.
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Sophomore Analise Rubalcava led the late-game spurt with an RBI single that brought Marsha Taylor home. Her hit, a darting line drive into center field, broke a three-inning deadlock, putting the Lobos up 4-3.
Rubalcava said getting hits off SDSU pitcher Christina Ross was not easy.
"They have a very good pitcher, so we tried to make hard contact into the gap," Rubalcava said.
In Ross' 29 appearances for the Aztecs, she has a 16-8 record while holding opponents to a .213 batting average.
However, the Lobos were able to get to Ross on Sunday and end a string of poor performances against the Aztecs.
In 2005, SDSU handed the Lobos a 21-5 pounding in the regular season and a heartbreaking 4-3 loss in the conference
tournament.
On Saturday, UNM's woes continued. Despite a season-high three doubles by Lobo hitters, UNM fell to the Aztecs 11-2.
In that game, the Lobos allowed 18 hits - another season high.
Pitcher Kelly Ninemire, who started both games against the Aztecs, said the key to Sunday's win was building on the positives from the previous game.
"The most important thing was to come out here and hit my slots - make the ball break,"
Ninemire said.
She also credited her defense, which allowed only four runs off 11 SDSU hits.
"The defense made some big-time plays in innings where (SDSU) could have capitalized," Ninemire said.
UNM head coach Ty Singleton said the Lobos did a good job of bouncing back from Saturday's loss.
"We got our nose bloodied yesterday, and I really felt we picked ourselves back up and fought hard today," he said.
Singleton said stopping the bunt was important in Sunday's win. In Saturday's game, the Aztecs put four straight players on base by bunting. They had five bunt singles in the fifth inning.
"Today, we put some shifts on for our bunt coverage," he said. "We also challenged Kelly to move laterally. She did a better job
today."
Going into the last quarter of the season, the Lobos have won five of six games.
In order to keep up the success, UNM must improve on the road. The team's road record stands
at 2-7 .
Singleton said the Lobos will try to build on successes and learn from mistakes.
"We are seeing growth," he said. "If that growth continues, we could win every series this year. That is one of our goals."
Softball at Utah
Thursday, 1 p.m.
Salt Lake City
